Mamma Mia was given the second lowest score possible, one out of five, at its most recent inspection on December 17, 2018.

Though the café, which serves burgers, breakfasts and other hot meals, has an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 according to Google reviews,environmental health inspectors found was "improvement necessary" when it came to food handling by staff and the cleanliness and condition of the café.

Read More

Inspectors also found "major improvement [was] necessary" when it came to the management of food safety, namely the checks done to ensure food is safe, evidence staff know about food safety and the inspector's confidence standards will be maintained.

We contacted Mamma Mia to find out the reasons for the poor rating and the owner said the café will "close for refurbishment" due to the inspection.

However, he could not provide an exact date for when this would happen.

"We have not got a start date because we need a plan but we are going to change the whole thing, including the equipment [we use] and flooring," he said.

He claimed the café received a one-star rating because "there was some broken tiles on the floor and some bits and pieces".

The food hygiene rating system

The food hygiene scheme is designed to helps you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving you clear information about the businesses’ hygiene standards.

Food establishments are encouraged to display the sticker given to them which shows their food hygiene rating. However, it is voluntary for them to actually do so in England.

The scheme gives businesses a rating from 5 to 0 which is displayed at their premises and online so you can make more informed choices about where to buy and eat food.

5 – hygiene standards are very good

4 – hygiene standards are good

3 – hygiene standards are generally satisfactory

2 – some improvement is necessary

1 – major improvement is necessary

0 – urgent improvement is required

What the rating covers

Ratings are a snapshot of the standards of food hygiene found at the time of inspection. It is the responsibility of the business to comply with food hygiene law at all times.

This includes:

handling of food

how food is stored

how food is prepared

cleanliness of facilities

how food safety is managed

The food hygiene rating scheme does not provide information on the following factors:

quality of the food

customer service

culinary skill

presentation

comfort

Asked specifically about the improvement needed regarding the hygienic handling of food, he made a reference to his staff not "covering up some of the things".

He added: "The place needs a little bit of refurbishment, that is the main issue. It has been there for a long time."

Read More

Today's most read stories on MyLondon

The owner, who hung up before My London could ask for his name, then explained that we should call back later because he was working at another other restaurant he owns, although he did not answer when asked for its name.

My London has since been unable to reach him despite repeated attempts.

We have requested the full hygiene food safety report from Ealing Council .

Get WhatsApp news alerts to your phone

We've set up a new WhatsApp group so you can receive the latest London headlines straight to your phone.

To receive one message a day with the main headlines, as well as breaking news alerts, send one of the following to 07900 342671 on WhatsApp, depending on where you want to receive news from:

LONDON NEWS

CENTRAL LONDON NEWS

NORTH LONDON NEWS

EAST LONDON NEWS

SOUTH LONDON NEWS

WEST LONDON NEWS

Then add the number to your phone contacts book as 'MyLondon'. You must do this or you will not receive the messages.

You will receive one message a day. You can reply with the word STOP at any time.